


Iscariot

by ChristineClevesCapricorn



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26217259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChristineClevesCapricorn/pseuds/ChristineClevesCapricorn
Summary: SEES, the Investigation Team, and The Phantom Thieves of Hearts face the end of everything, in an epic war of gods and monsters. When the Velvet Room becomes a battleground, and the body count begins to rise, each member has to decide for themselves what it is they're willing to sacrifice, and what it means to really 'save' their own world.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18





	1. Prologue: Something Old and Something New

**Author’s Note:** I’ve been sitting in quarantine plotting this story for…lord, it’s got to be four months, now. I miss people ,but I’m getting to replay all the persona games, so that’s a treat.

WARNING: This story will contain significant spoilers for Persona 3P, Persona 4 Golden, Persona 5 Royal, and probably several other games. This story will contain dangerous situations, aggressive language, and queer sexual content, including discussions and depictions of heterosexuality, homosexuality, asexuality, etc, as well as the potential for major character death.

* * *

**Iscariot**

By C. C Capricorn

Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.

William Shakespeare ** _,_** _The Tempest_

* * *

**Prologue – September 1, 2020**

Ten years after the murders, and five years after the end of an interminably dull sentence for Complicity to Commit Murder, Tohru Adachi was living a comfortably, disgustingly bored life as a professional recluse on the very outskirts of Inaba.

Nothing ever happened in Inaba, and nothing ever happened to Adachi, unless he counted all the times that he’d been stopped by a taunt, a sneer, or a genuinely terrified shriek from a passerby when they’d met on him his way to the grocery store or the train station. Just at first, he’d gotten a kick out of grinning evilly at people he’d seen on the streets, sending crowds of twittering housewives into a panic, or taunting groups of high school jocks into cursing and threatening him for getting too close.

That fun had all dried up a long time ago, now. Nothing was fun anymore, and, what was worse, he was starting to get old. He knew he was starting to get old, because three days ago, he’d found his first grey hair. He knew he was starting to get old because he was almost starting to enjoy being bored. The world had nothing to offer him, nothing to take away from him, nothing to threaten him with, and, on some days, he felt almost a grudging relief. Most people didn’t even know he was anymore, or remember him at all, and so no one expected him to do or say a damn thing, and therefore…he could do whatever he wanted, which was, most of the time, nothing at all. What was the point? There was nothing to do.

He figured he’d probably live that way forever, or until a delivery truck hit him and put him out of his misery, or something lucky like that.

Adachi was, therefore, surprised and chagrined when he closed his eyes one night after a long day of doing absolutely nothing, and then opened them again to find himself in a deep blue room suffused with unearthly light.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

At the other side of the room, against the blue, back wall, someone laughed. It was a kind of a low, distorted giggle, and it sent a nasty, unsettled feeling across Adachi’s shoulders and down his spine. Adachi looked up to see someone, or maybe something, with its body completely swathed in deep blue cloth. It was bound to the wall by thick coils of chain attached to its neck and wrists, so that it swayed slightly back and forth but couldn’t fully raise its face, which wouldn’t have helped Adachi much anyway. The face itself was covered in an oversized, almost creepily comical white plague doctor mask, like the ones Adachi had seen in all the advertisements this year for the “fun adult Halloween costumes,” that Junes was offering for curbside pickup.

“Welcome,” it said, again in that weird, deep, bubbly voice, “to the Velvet Room. I've been excited to meet you." 

Adachi let out a short, frustrated breath.

“Yeah,” he muttered, “sure, thanks. And who the hell are you? Tell me I’m dreaming. I've got to be dreaming, right? Crap, am I having a panic attack?" 

“Don't freak out, you're safe here.” The thing sounded like it was smiling. “This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter, so you’re…half-dreaming. Unfortunately, you’re also half-awake. Does that make any sense?”

Adachi just snorted a laugh, which didn’t seem to bother the creature at all. "I wish it didn't," he sighed. 

"Oh...so you've been here before?" The thing nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Anyway-!"

“Look,” Adachi began again, “before this gets any stupider, I think you’ve got the wrong guy. This is some heroic shit, right? You’re gonna offer me a chance to change my fate, make a sacrifice, save the world and restore, uh, hope and truth to humanity or some shit like that. Yeah, well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, been there, done that, and I’m the bad guy. I’m pretty great at being the bad guy, too, I only sort of even got caught.”

“Is that fun?” The thing still sounded like it was smiling, totally unfazed, and that was starting to piss Adachi off. “Are you proud of that?”

“My point,” snarled Adachi, “is that I’m not the droid you’re looking for, get it? Now fuck off so I can go back to sleep, or wake up, or…whatever.”

The thing just gently shook its head, the chains clinking as it tried to move.

“Oh, no, I don’t think I’ve made a mistake. You, uh…haha, you’re exactly the ‘droid I’m looking for.’ Nice Star Wars reference, by the way! Episode 4 is the best, always has been. I’ll die on that hill…uh, metaphorically, of coures." Again, it laughed, and this time it was a soft sort of gentle laugh, almost human. Alarm bells started going off in Adachi's head, and he glanced quickly over his shoulder, just making sure that there wasn't an obvious way out.

Of course, there wasn't. He hadn't really expected one. He was stuck in here with a monster that liked classic pop culture references. He shrugged. 

“Sounds to me like you’ve got nothing to lose,” the thing went on. “That’s why I need you. You don’t care about this world, right? You’re just bored and you need something to shake things up. I bet you’d actually enjoy causing a little trouble, wreaking some havoc, getting back at the ones who’ve driven you to this. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“Yeah, like I said, been there, done that,” muttered Adachi. “Not interested. The hell is this all about, anyway? Who are you?”

For a moment, the thing didn't say anything. It just cocked its head very slightly to one side, the chains pulling at its neck. Adachi could feel its eyes through the mask, watching him, considering him. Finally, it sighed, and seemed to perk up again. 

“Hey,” it asked brightly, “do you want to see a magic trick?”

Before Adachi had a chance to respond, there was a low rumbling from the walls all around him, and he crouched down instinctively, steeling himself against whatever was coming. Unconsciously, his lips began to form the word “Persona,” but the breath caught in his throat and he couldn’t speak the word aloud.

As he watched, the creature slowly wrenched its right arm from the wall, the chains creaking and snapping all around it, falling away with a clatter. The thing shook the blue cloak off of its now free arm, revealing a long, glittering white glove that extended all the way up to the elbow.

Adachi took a step back, realizing that if those chains would break that easily, the creature could attack at any moment.

The creature touched its gloved hand gently to its chest.

“Who am I? That's kind of a complicated question. I'm nobody anymore. No, I guess I’m…well, I’m the Messiah, I’m here for the end of the world.”

Adachi barely had time to process that stupidly grandiose response before the world around him began to swim, and suddenly the Velvet Room disappeared, leaving him tumbling back into the merciful darkness of sleep.


	2. Chapter One

**Author’s Note:** Hi, everyone!

I don’t want any of you to have to do math, because…I mean, I personally would like to avoid doing math at all costs, so if we’re in the year 2020, then we’re looking our heroes being the following ages:

The Investigation Team: 24/25

The Phantom Thieves: 19/20

SEES: 27/28 (Ken is about 21)

I hope that helps. 😊 Okay, enough talk, here we go.

* * *

**Chapter One**

All the way on the other side of Inaba, out near the now -infamous Amagi Inn, a battered second-hand motorcycle rolled up outside what the local townspeople jokingly called “Junes II.”

“Junes II” had once been an electronics warehouse for the local Junes branch, but had been abandoned years ago in favor of a newer, fancier, and cheaper unit closer to the store. In the interim, a few dedicated young people (and one incredibly enthusiastic but less dedicated bear) had saved up, studied construction, and enlisted the help of family and friends to turn the abandoned warehouse into their dream group home, with two stories, and almost enough bedrooms and bathrooms to keep everybody living comfortably. Sure, there were leaks in the roof whenever it rained, and yeah, paying the electricity bill pretty much always turned into a knock-down, drag-out fight between at least two of them, but at the end of the day, they all got to come home and sleep in a bed surrounded by their dysfunctional but incredibly loyal and loving found family.

Yu Narukami heard the splutter of the motorcycle, and opened the front door to greet the rider.

“Hey, partner,” he called out, smiling. “You’re back late. Let me guess…you were visiting _her,_ right?”

Yosuke Hanamura, dismounting from his bike, was clearly trying to look innocent. “Huh? Her? Her who? Look, keep it down, it’s not like everybody in the house needs to know!”

“Hey!” Kanji Tatsumi stuck his head out the door and glared at Yosuke. “The hell have I told you about riding without a helmet? That ain’t funny, man. You wanna get yourself killed?”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, I got it. “ Yosuke sighed. “I know. I’m a dumbass, I was half-asleep all day, and I left my helmet in my locker. Anyway, what’s for dinner? It’s edible, right? Or, uh, is that too much to hope for? Honestly, I’m starving…”

“Wow, Kanji, you sound like someone’s Mom.” Rise laughed as Yosuke closed the front door behind him. “Kanji is totally the’momfriend,’ of this group, right?”

Rise, Yukiko, and Naoto were all seated around the re-purposed collection of crates and plastic tubs that were currently serving as the kitchen table, hungrily eyeing an exciting array of take-out containers from the local Aiya Chinese diner. Chie was on the sofa, watching TV, and Kanji was, inexplicably, covered in paint and little specks of fuzz. Yosuke assumed he must have been crafting up in his bedroom, judging by the suspicious trail of art reside that led all the way across the living room and up the carpeted staircase.

“Huh? I’m not a…” Kanji started to get angry, then shrugged and relaxed. “Eh, what the hell, sure. Yeah, you know what? You should be so fuckin’ lucky. I’d make a great mom. Uh. Right?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Yukiko smiled. “You’re very caring and genuine. You’d be an excellent parent!”

“Uh, are you sure about that?” Chie raised an eyebrow and snorted a laugh. “I mean, he’d have to stop punching everything in sight first…that kinda violence doesn’t set a great example for a kid.”

“Like you’re one to talk, Chie-senpai,” grumbled Kanji.

Chie wagged a finger at him. “That’s ‘Detective Chie-senpai to you. I’ve been promoted!”

“No shit!” Yosuke stared at her. “Seriously? Hey, that’s amazing, great job, Chie! Somehow, I…kinda never thought it would happen.”

“Yosuke!” Yukiko glared at him.

Chie just sighed. “Yeah, I know what you mean! Four years on the force and people just laughed at me when I talked about moving up, but…hey, it doesn’t hurt to have Dojima-san as my partner and my advocate! Hopefully this’ll mean less paperwork and more kicking ass…you know, uh, in a peaceful sort of way.”

“He’s a good man,” murmured Naoto, “but he’s very strict…he’ll expect the best from you, Chie-san. It won’t be an easy position, I’m sure.”

“Yeah…” Chie shook her head. “Yeah, life’s gonna get…stressful, I guess, so let’s enjoy this last hurrah before I start having to work nights again, okay? Come on, everybody, dig in! It feels like we’ve been waiting for Yosuke forever!”

“Huh? Yosuke’s back? Jeez, finally!”

In a storm of fur and enthusiasm, Teddie was rushing down the stairs. Yosuke just had time to brace himself as Teddie rushed full-force into his arms.

“Yosuke, what took you so long?! I was BEARY worried that you’d gotten into an accident or something! Or maybe you’d been arrested peeping into windows, or-!”  
  


“The hell? Who peeps into windows? That’s not me, that sounds like you!” Angrily, Yosuke shook Teddie off. “What are you wearing that for, anyway? We’re not at Junes!”

“We’re having a celebration!” Teddie shrugged. “It just felt right. You know…kinda like old times.” He sighed dramatically. “Back when were… _the investigation team!_ Heroically saving the world, rescuing beautiful damsels, winning the hearts of the public and the recognition of…the world!

Someone’s stomach grumbled loudly, and everyone turned, startled, to look at Naoto, who was trying very hard not to meet anyone’s eyes.

“Ahem,” she coughed awkwardly. “If you’re done reminiscing, Teddie, I…really am very hungry. I haven’t eaten since 10:00. It’s been a long day.”

As everyone laughed, Yosuke settled into his seat next to Yu, and reached across the table for a carton of pork fried rice.

“So?” Yu was grinning at him, keeping his voice low. “How’d it go?”

“It didn’t,” mumbled Yosuke. “I waited outside her office for half an hour, but she never showed up.”

“She was probably busy with a student,” suggested Yu sympathetically. “Maybe you can catch her after work tomorrow?”

Yosuke shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe she’s avoiding me. You think she’s avoiding me. I don’t want to like…be too aggressive, I guess? Yukiko says I’m too aggressive, uh, when it comes to girls.”

“Um, she’s not a _girl_ ,” interrupted Chie unexpectedly. “She’s a _woman!_ No wonder she’s been avoiding you!”

“Huh?” Yosuke stared at her. “What do you…I mean, WHO are you talking about?”

“Dude, give it up,” muttered Kanji. “Everybody knows. You’re not subtle.”

“Aw, Yosuke’s blushing.” Rise pointed across the table at him. “It’s so cute!”

“Shaddup, ‘snot cute,” mumbled Yosuke, sinking deeper into his rice. “The hell did everybody find out? Yu, you didn’t-?”

“I didn’t have to,” said Yu. “We all know you pretty well, so it’s easy to tell when you’re hiding something. The girls figured it out on their own, I had nothing to do with it.”

Now everyone around the table was laughing, and Yosuke felt like a complete fool. Kanji slapped him on the back and gave him an awkward thumbs up. Even Teddie looked genuinely delighted, although when he opened his mouth to say something, Rise hurriedly pop a forkful of food into it to keep him quiet, which was probably, Yosuke decided, for the best. After all, when it came to girls or women, Teddie was the most likely to say something genuinely uncomfortable and kill the mood.

“Chie,” began Yukiko, mercifully changing the subject, “tell us more about your promotion! You’re a detective now, just like Dojima-san, right? Will that mean you have more patrols? It’s not like there have been a lot of dangerous cases in Inaba lately…oh, not that I’m complaining!”

Chie, with a mouth full of steak, began chewing hurriedly. She swallowed and opened her mouth to speak just in time for Kanji to interrupt her.

“Hey, shut up, you guys,” he said, pointing over at the television. “Listen up. The hell’s this all about?”

Yosuke turned his attention to the TV, where the announcer was in the middle of a breaking news report.

“…new cases identified in the city,” she was saying, looking honestly a little unsettled even as she smiled at the prompter. “Doctors haven’t yet been able to identify any particular symptom that’s consistent across all the cases. Some people have reported exhaustion, shortness of breath, and even fainting spells, while others haven’t experienced anything more than a light head cold and a little bit of coughing or sneezing. However, every case ends up the same way – a few days after reporting symptoms, each victim falls into a deep coma from which they cannot be revived, and medical professionals across the country are baffled. Are we seeing a re-emergence of the mysterious Apathy Syndrome that struck in 2009, or is this some new 2020 terror? More on this story at 11. And now, a word from our sponsors.”

As the commercial began and the Junes jingle started to play, Yosuke sucked in a breath.

“Well that sure doesn’t sound great,” he sighed. “So now there’s so me kind of nameless epidemic going around? Isn’t that usually a winter thing?”

“People get sick all the time.” Chie shrugged. “Come on, it’s probably nothing. I mean, the lady even said there aren’t any consistent symptoms.”

“Um except for ‘falling into a coma.’” Rise shook her head. “This is bad, honestly. People come to my concerts in huge numbers, and that could be dangerous if there’s some kind of sickness going around. I’d better call Inoue-san, we may have to make some changes.”

“Did they say anything about cases here in Inaba?” Yukiko looked worried. “I haven’t heard anything…do you think we should be cancelling large reservations at the Inn?”

“I really don’t think that’s necessary,” said Naoto. “There’s no reason to make any assumptions at this point. I am not aware of any local cases, and the details of this supposed illness are still so nebulous…we need more information before we can take any reasonable precautions. That said, for all we know, there might be nothing to it. I’d encourage you to try not to think about it for the moment. Such thoughts can be insidious, and unnecessary anxiety-!”

She was interrupted by a huge, aggressive sneeze from Kanji.   
  


“Aw, man…” a bit sheepishly, he wiped his nose on a paper napkin. “Sorry about that, guess I must have caught something working so late last night.”

Everyone was now staring at him. Yosuke looked around and saw alarm in the eyes of several of his friends.

Kanji blinked. “Uh…hey, what’s up? Why’s everybody looking at me like that? Come on, man, it was just a sneeze…”

* * *

**Author’s End Note** : There is one specific thing in this chapter that I feel I need to call serious attention to.

We discuss the police in a very positive light in this story, as several of our main characters are members of the Inaba police department. I am very, very aware of the issues of Police Brutality that are currently pressing in America, which is where I live. I’d like to state, and I will happily state it as many times as necessary, that Black Lives Matter. The police in this story are based on the lovely, kind, and good members of the fictional Inaba police department, and the police in this story do not necessarily reflect my opinions about American police in the real world.

Thanks so much for your time and patience.


	3. Chapter Two

**Author’s Note:** Happy Wednesday from Philadelphia!

This story is going to contain a few original characters, since Nanako, who has an important story arc, is going to need her own squad! Here are some of them.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Sixteen-year-old Nanako Dojima knew that she was no good at chemistry.

She’d always been a pretty smart girl, even as a kid, and her grades had almost always reflected that, yet chemistry consistently thwarted her. Memorizing long lists had never been her strongest suit, and somehow she just couldn’t get all the elements and their individual properties to stick in her head for any length of time. It was embarrassing, and she really wasn’t looking forward to showing Dad her grades if she didn’t manage to turn this chemistry thing around, and fast.

She was, therefore, naturally horrified when Mr. Odagiri, the second-year Yasogami science teacher, announced a multi-week chemistry project.

“You’ll be working in pairs,” he explained, “on one of the five possible projects from the list I’ve posted on the blackboard. I’ll allow you to choose your own partners, but only if you can do so quickly, quietly, and efficiently. No chattering, please. Once you’ve got into your groups, please come up and select a project, and add your names to this sign up sheet.

Mr. Odagiri glared sternly at the students as everyone bustled around the room trying to pair up with their boyfriends, girlfriends, or best friends. Nanako could feel her friend Aoi eyeing her from the back of the classroom, but Aoi was excellent at chemistry, and Nanako felt terrible at the idea of bringing her down or holding her back. Besides, she couldn’t help but notice that Deirdre the new transfer student, didn’t have a partner, and that nobody seemed to be even looking in her direction.

With a friendly smile, Nanako made her way over to the new girl’s desk. Deirdre had very, very dark brown skin and big, wide black eyes, like one of those beautiful girls from America or Africa who Nanako sometimes saw on television or in movies. Deirdre had showed up quietly a few days ago, had been introduced by the teacher as “a new girl from the city,” and had kept her head down ever since. Nanako had only ever spoken to her once when they’d met accidentally by the communal pencil sharpener. The other kids in class had been gossiping a bit, mostly wondering where she was from and what she was doing, showing up so late in the year, but in general, everybody seemed more curious than malicious.

A couple of days ago, Yu had been having dinner over at the Dojima’s, and Nanako had mentioned that she had a new classmate. Yu had reminisced about how difficult it had been to be a brand new student, and that without his new friends, he’d probably have struggled a lot more at the beginning. Even Dad had encouraged Nanako to be friendly. So…no time like the present, right?

“Um, excuse me!” Nanako gave Deirdre a cheerful little wave. “You’re Deirdre, right? Um…you may not remember, but I introduced myself the other day. I’m-!”

“You’re Nanako Dojima,” said Deirdre. “You’re the Detective’s daughter, I remember. You’re always smiling in class…you’ve got a really pretty smile. Um, sorry, was that awkward?” Deidre flushed.

Nanako wasn’t sure if it was awkward or not, but it certainly wasn’t unkind. “Oh, no, it’s not! It’s really nice, thank you! Um, I think you’re pretty too! I mean…”

Both girls looked uncertain for a moment, and then Deirdre gave Nanako a sheepish sort of half-smile.

“So…do you have a partner for the chemistry project yet?” Nanako gestured to Mr. Odagiri, who was waiting impatiently for the room to quiet down. “If not, do you want to work with me? Uh, I should tell you, I’m really bad at chemistry, but…I promise not to make you do the project all by yourself! I’ll work hard, so please be patient with me!”

Deirdre let out a little sigh of what Nanako hoped was relief. “Yeah, I’d love that. I’m…honestly not so great at chemistry either, but two heads are better than one, am I right?”

Together, the two girls walked up to the blackboard to examine their options for the project.

“Hey!” Nanako perked up upon reading the options. “Actually, this one looks fun! Um, ‘Chlorophyll Variety in Different Plants.’ I love plants! We grow vegetables in my front yard, so maybe we can grow our plants there. Oh, is that okay with you?”

Deirdre nodded. “Sure, that sounds fine. I don’t know much about vegetables, but I do love flowers. We used to grow flowers in a window box back in the city, I keep meaning to ask Claire if we can start a little flower garden here.”

“Maybe we can use vegetables AND flowers!” Nanako was starting to get excited. “Then we could both have a special section of the project to work on and present. I think that sounds really great!

There were still a lot of questions that Nanako wanted to ask like, what kind of flowers were Deirdre’s favorite, and who exactly was Claire? Before she had a chance to start in, though, Mr. Odagiri cleared his throat at the front of the room and began shooing at the students with his hands.

“All right, that’s enough…that’s quite enough,” he said. “Everyone please sit down and let’s restore some order and decorum to this class, please? You all must have your teams by now, so let’s move on with the lecture for today. Back to your seats everyone, efficiently.”

“Let’s talk about the rest of this stuff after class,” Nanako whispered. “Thanks, Deirdre!”

“Call me Dee,” replied Deirdre. “See you later!”

The rest of the class dragged on. Nanako paid rapt attention, took notes, copied down every diagram on the board, and yet still felt frustrated, by the end of the lecture, as she pretty much always did in this class. In the middle of the period, Nanako heard her cell phone buzz, and managed to muffle the sound before Mr. Odagiri looked in her direction. She glanced over and saw that Aoi was watching her, and figured she’d probably just gotten irritated text about picking someone other than her best friend to do a major class project.

As soon as the bell rang for lunch, Aoi rushed over to her.

“Heeeeey Nana!” Aoi heaved her huge backpack onto the desk next to her. “What’d you bring? You wanna go to the roof? Oh, uh…”

Aoi glanced uncertainly over Nanako’s shoulder, and Nanako turned to see that Deirdre was hovering a bit uncomfortably just behind her, apparently waiting for her turn.

Aoi shot a quick glance between them, then shrugged and grinned. “’Sup, new girl? You wanna eat with us?”

Slowly, Deirdre smiled.

As they packed up their things and climbed the stairs to the roof, Aoi kept up an incessant chatter that seemed to leave the quiet Deirdre at something of a loss.

“Hey, your Japanese is super good,” said Aoi at one point, looking impressed. “Where are you even from?”

Deirdre coughed. “Actually, I’m from Tokyo. I’ve lived there all my life, so…I’m glad you like my Japanese.”

She made a wry face, and Aoi looked momentarily almost embarrassed. Then she shrugged it off and just went on talking.

“All the way from Tokyo? Weird, we haven’t had a transfer student from the city in like…dunno, years? Yeah, years. What’d you come all the way out here, for? Lemme guess, your parents?”

“Not exactly.” Deirdre shook her head. “I actually live with my older sister, Claire. She just finished graduate school, and she got a job as a Marketing Associate with the corporation that manages Junes Foods. They sent her out here to work with some guy in Inaba, because apparently the Inaba Junes branch is one of the most successful stores in the country? I don’t know, that seems pretty, uh…”

She trailed off, paused for a moment, and then shrugged.

“I guess it just seems pretty unlikely to me, because…well, there’s nobody out here! But apparently sales here are incredible, or something, so the company is giving her a stipend to sort of learn the ropes here. Claire thought I should probably go back and live with my Mom when she moved, but…” Deirdre’s face darkened a bit. “No thanks. So…here we are. Sorry, not such an interesting story…”

Nanako found herself bristling a little bit at the idea that Deirdre didn’t want to live with her mother. Deep down inside, in a dark part of Nanako that she hated and didn’t want to think about, she was suddenly fiercely jealous of Deirdre for even having a mom, and angry with her for throwing that relationship away when _some people_ would have done just anything to be able to live with their moms again.

Then again Nanako reminded herself, letting the rational part of her take over, there were probably all sorts of things she didn’t know or understand about the situation, and it really wasn’t any of her business.

“That sounds rough,” said Aoi, throwing an arm around Nanako’s shoulders and giving her a quiet squeeze. “Well, welcome to Inaba, anyway!”

Nanako smiled. Aoi had noticed and thought of her, just like always. Even if you didn’t think Aoi was paying attention, she usually was, even if she was sometimes a little bit tactless about it.

“Lets eat,” insisted Aoi, flopping down on the concrete in the center of the roof. “What’ve you got today, Nanako?”

“Savory rice balls.” Nanako took them gently out of her lunchbox and displayed them proudly.

“Ohhh, lucky you!” Aoi nodded in approval. “Did your gorgeous ‘Big Bro’ make those for you?”

“Um, no, I made them myself.” Nanako glared at her. “But uh, Yu did help. They’re really good, do you want one?”

“I would LOVE one,” mumbled Aoi, gazing wistfully at the rice balls, but I can’t. Gotta watch my weight! Just greens, greens, and more greens for me. This summer festival, I’m gonna wear my Mom’s old yukata. Just one more size down!”

Nanako sighed and shook her head. Aoi had ben dieting since they’d met in middle school, but as far as Nanako was concerned, Aoi didn’t need to lose any weight and never had. Aoi’s mother was very interested in health and fitness videos, and spent way too much time online at home, browsing blogs about the newest health trends. Unfortunately, Aoi was starting to be just as invested.

“How about you, Dee?” Nanako turned and politely offered Deirdre a rice ball. “I promise, they’re really good. Even my Dad liked them!”

Deirdre gratefully accepted a rice ball, took a bite, and chewed thoughtfully for a moment before asking, “So, you have a big brother?”

Aoi and Nanako exchanged a quick look.

“Well, sort of.” Nanako shrugged, just the tiniest bit embarrassed. “He’s actually my cousin, but he lived with us for a while when I was a kid, and we’re-!”

“They’re SUPER close,” Aoi interrupted. “She just ADORES him. And he’s cute, too!”

Nanako just ignored her. “He lives over by the Amagi Inn with his friends. I hope you get the chance to meet him one day!”

“Seriously,” Aoi whispered, “the guy is GORGEOUS.”

Deirdre chuckled. “I’d like that, Nanako-san. He sounds really sweet. Thank you so much.”

They enjoyed the rest of their lunch period in light, companionable conversation, learning about each other’s families and pastimes. As the bell rang, Aoi stuffed half a bite of one of Nanako’s rice balls into her mouth and leapt to her feet.

“English time!” she crowed. “My favorite class. Hey, Dee, are you any good at English?”

Deirdre just shook her head. “None at all,” she murmured. “Nanako-san?”

“Oh Nanako’s great at it,” insisted Aoi before Nanako could get a word in. “She’s got a private tutor, sort of. You know Rise Kujikawa, the idol? Well, Rise picks up English overseas, and then she Facetimes with Nanako so they can practice their English together. Can you believe it? Our girl is pretty much a celebrity…”

Aoi kept chattering away, all the way back to class, while Deirdre’s eyes grew wider and wider at all the secrets her new friend now seemed inclined to tell her.

Just before closing the classroom door behind her, Nanako looked out the hallway window at the beginning of autumn, and decided she was feeling good about September. It was going to be a fun year.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

After a lively dinner with his housemates, Yosuke went upstairs to bed a little early. Actually, he was just trying to stay out of the way of his over-enthusiastic friends who would probably have spent the rest of the evening teasing him about his apparently public crush on the new school nurse if they could have gotten a hold of him.

To avoid them, he played video games on his bed for a while, until he eventually fell asleep, still dressed, in the middle of trying to catch a rare September fish in Animal Crossing.

Yosuke absolutely would never admit to his friends that he played Animal Crossing…but what the heck, the game was addictive!

He dreamed peacefully for a while about fish, bugs, and fruits, until suddenly he opened his eyes again to find himself in a bright blue room. The walls were blue, the ceiling was blue, the furniture was blue….well, he’d thought of it as “ furniture,’ but really it was more like creepy decoration.

There were two huge columns, one on either side of the room, both, of course, blue. The columns were wrapped in heavy blue chains and had a couple of shiny blue swords lying at their bases, their hilts crossed like the bones at the bottom of the classic pirate flag.

The weirdest part of all of this was that whole place felt oddly familiar to Yosuke, as though he’d been here before, but…no, not exactly like that, either. He couldn’t quite place the feeling, but he knew he didn’t’ like it.

“What,” he exclaimed, “the HELL is this???”

“It’s the beginning of the end of the world,” replied a creepy, distorted voice from somewhere in shifting blue shadows. Yosuke squeaked in surprise, grabbing for his weapon, which of course he didn’t have, because the last time he’d checked, he’d been fast asleep in bed, and who wears a weapon to bed?

“Quit freaking out,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head. “This is just some crazy dream, that’s all. All I gotta do is wake up. Okay, here goes! Three, two, one…”

He blinked his eyes hard, and then opened them wide again, but the scenery hadn’t changed.

“Uh…crap, why can’t I wake up?”

“You’ll wake up when I let you wake up,” announced the voice.

As Yosuke forced himself to calm down, and listened to the sound of his steadying heartbeat, his eyes finally accustomed themselves to the room, and he could see someone against the back wall. Whoever they were, they were wearing some kind of a blue cape, and they had a white mask on.

“Hey,” began Yosuke, eyeing the mask suspiciously, “isn’t that one of ours? I mean, we sell those ‘plague doctor’ masks in the Halloween section at Junes…”

“Um…hey, that’s not important!” Suddenly, the spooky voice sounded peevish, impatient, maybe even a little bit childish. “Look, you’re Yosuke Hanamura, right?”

“Uh…yeah,” mumbled Yosuke. “Yeah, that’s me.”

The thing cleared its throat, and then resumed its gloomy composure. “Yosuke Hanamura,” it intoned, maybe overdoing it on the cheesy creepiness a little bit, “I have something important to tell you. You and your friends…you’re in terrible danger.”

Several things went through Yosuke’s head simultaneously when he heard that. Firstly, he found that he wasn’t really surprised. The number of times he and his friends had been in ‘terrible’ danger’ over the years had left him just a little bit hard to truly shock.

Unfortunately, and much to Yosuke’s chagrin, he also felt a little thrill of excitement. It’d been years since any really good adventures had happened.

Sure, sometimes, in the middle of the night, after a long day of being incredibly bored at his nine-to-five, a little bit of ‘terrible danger’ felt welcome. Saving the day with his band of inseparable comrades, having something to fight for and work towards, it seemed like it would feel so good, so genuinely alive.

Yosuke knew he was a bit of a thrill seeker, and he always had been. That was the dark part of himself, and he’d come to own it, even if he wasn’t particularly proud of it.

He shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first time,” he said aloud to the masked guy. “So, what do you want me to-!”

The masked thing suddenly loomed over him, and in a second it was much more expansive, much more everywhere at once than it had been only moments before.

“YOU’RE NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY,” it bellowed in a voice that filled the room and seemed to eliminate every other bit of sound in the surrounding atmosphere. Somehow, the voice was in Yosuke’s head, as well as all around him. He dropped to his knees, covered his years, and took deep breaths of what air he could get, his eyes shut tight and his heart pounding.

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa WHOA! I am absolutely taking this seriously! S-sorry, I was just…n-nevermind, yes, yeah, terrible danger, I got it!”

There had been something else in the voice, too, that had caught Yosuke’s attention, a slightly shriller note that his straight-single-male ears were very attuned to detect.

“Yes…ma’am?” he added hesitantly.

He was pretty sure now that the thing in the mask was a girl.

Slowly, the (girl?) subsided again, returning to her original, normal-sized cloaked form, the echoes of her terrible voice still bouncing off the blue walls all around them.

Yosuke waited in silence until the air was clear, and then asked, “So…what else can you tell me? You said my friends? My friends are in danger? What kind of danger? What do we need to do to stop it? I mean, it’s not like they can’t take care of themselves, or anything, but-!”

“You need to do nothing.” The girl stared down the mask’s long nose at him. “Do you understand? Don’t do anything. Don’t let your friends do anything. Don’t get involved.”

“H-huh?” Yosuke blinked. “But, uh, if you don’t want me to get involved, then why did you-?”

“Your friend,” the girl went on, cutting him off, “has the power of the wild card, right?”

Yosuke nodded. “Yu? Yeah, yeah, he does. It’s pretty badass.”

“If he gets involved,” the girl went on, “if he interferes, if he tries to solve this with the power of persona and the strength of his bonds, he’ll die.”

Yosuke was momentarily stunned.

“Uh…nah. No, he won’t,” he finally said, coughing and trying to feel as confident as he sounded. “You’ve never met Yu, right? He’s…he’s the strongest of us all. He’s faced like…who knows how many ‘you’re gonna die’ type situations, and guess what? Not dead! Anyway, there is nothing we can’t handle as a team, and as long as we’re all together-!”

“Being together isn’t always enough,” insisted the girl. “Sometimes…sacrifices have to be made. Sometimes you can’t save everyone. But you already know that, don’t’ you? You already know what that looks like.”

Yosuke swallowed hard. He found himself thinking about those members of the Shadow Operatives who had once been a high-school investigation team just like them…only those kids had been called SEES, and they hadn’t all made it out of their own world-saving mission alive. He was Facebook friends with most of them, and every year, on March 5, they all posted the same memorial photo on their profiles; all of them smiling, looking goofy, looking like kids, with a laughing girl in the middle, as if they were having the time of their lives in high school.

Each of the photos had the very same caption. “Never Give Up.”

Yosuke shivered, even though the room was almost oppressively warm.

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” said the masked girl quietly. “Not for you. You don’t have to get involved. He’ll be safe as long as you just _don’t get involved._ ”

“So…what’ll happen then?” asked Yosuke, all his bravado and certainty gone. “I mean, if we, uh, don’t get involved…what’ll happen? What’s this danger?”

“I already told you,” insisted the girl. “The world is going to end.”

“Wait wait wait wait, but if the world is going to end, then-!”

Yosuke didn’t have time to finish his sentence. Even as he started forwards, the image of the masked girl went up in a swirl of blue smoke, and suddenly Yosuke could feel himself gently, gently falling back into his own bed as blue world swam around him and faded out of sight.

“Wait, what do you mean, the end of the world?” he shouted, bolting upright in bed, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

He was in his own bedroom again now, but for some reason, that wasn’t comforting.

No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he’d just had a bad dream, Yosuke knew better. That hadn’t been a dream, not exactly. It had been more like…an omen? He felt stupid thinking of it that way, but there was no way something that vivid had just been a dream. Something was seriously wrong, and the world was going to end?

…Again?

“But if the world is going to end,” he muttered to himself, “then won’t we all die anyway? Gah, what am I saying?”

There wasn’t much point in trying to get back to sleep, so Yosuke got up, threw on a sweatshirt to deal with the incoming fall chill, and slumped as quietly as he could down the stairs to the kitchen, where he threw himself down on the couch and started looking through his book of DVDs.

“Independence Day,” he muttered, reading the titles of the DVDs and he flipped through, “Godzilla, These Final Hours, This Is the End, Seeking A Friend For the End of the World…is this everything we’ve got? Jeez, what the hell is wrong with us?”

Yosuke dropped the DVD case onto the floor and groaned.

“Hey, partner?” Yu’s voice came from the bottom of the stairs. Yosuke looked up to see his best friend on his way over to the sofa, looking concerned.

“You okay, man?” asked Yu. “I, uh…I think I heard you screaming. Nightmares? Um, no judgment, we all have nightmares. Seriously, you can tell me about it, if you want. I promise not to make fun of you.”

Yosuke looked up into Yu’s genuinely worried, kind, reliable face, the face of a man he’d known and loved like a brother for over ten years, and sighed. Again, the image of that commemorative March 5 photo of that dead girl and her friends swam up in his mind, and he shook his head, trying to dispel the doom and gloom that were starting to take hold.

“Uh…yeah, something like a nightmare,” he mumbled. “Look, Yu…you mind sitting down for a sec? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

* * *

**Author’s End Note** : We’ll meet the P3 team soon! It’ll be a little while yet before I introduce the P5 team into the story, but it’ll happen, I promise!


	5. EXTRA: Something Old and Something New

**Author's Note:** Hello friends!

Today, a beloved friend called me to remind me that it is the anniversary of my picking out my wedding dress! I have very fond memories of spending that day with my wonderful friends, for whom I am very grateful, and so I thought I'd let our girls have a little fun with wedding dress shopping. I'm afraid this won't advance the plot too much, but too much doom, gloom, and drama is bad for your soul anyway, right?

Anyway, here's what the girls were getting up to while Yosuke and Yu are dealing with the events of their rough night…

* * *

**EXTRA: Something Old and Something New**

The next morning, Yukiko was up early, too excited about the day's plans to sleep. As she passed by Yosuke's bedroom door, she was surprised to hear a whispered conversation going on inside. Was that Yu's voice she heard?

Well, she decided, they're probably just gossiping about girls again. Actually, she hadn't wanted to admit it to everyone, but she was apparently the only one who'd been genuinely surprised when it got out last night that Yosuke had a crush on the new school nurse. What was it with him and nurses, anyway? Not that nurses weren't wonderful people of course…so kind, and helpful…actually, Yukiko couldn't remember ever meeting a nurse at Yasogami High when she'd attended. They definitely must have had one…

"Hey, Yukiko!"

Chie's cheerful voice cut through Yukiko's idle thoughts. She was waiting by the front door, dressed and ready to go, sipping on a cup of hot coffee and bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet with poorly suppressed energy.

"Morning!" Chie grinned. "Are you ready? I'm kinda stoked, you know? this is the first time I've done anything like this! Actually, when we were in high school, I always thought it would be YOU going first! I mean, the boys have always been all over you, so it just seemed to make sense!"

Yukiko tried not to blush. "That's…don't be silly, Chie."

Chie just laughed. "Aw come on, how come you always get so flustered? You're cute, just accept it! You know, Daisuke thinks you're just adorable…" Chie rolled her eyes and pulled a face.

"I'm not interested in Daisuke." Insisted Yukiko, very firmly. "Please don't force me out on another double date with him. The last time was so awkward, I barely knew what to do or where to look. I wanted to just drop through the floor and disappear."

"I won't, I won't, I promise." Chie smiled and shook her head. "I gotta admit, it was pretty embarrassing, just watching the two of you staring at each other over your food, like a couple of deer caught in headlights! I don't think I'd want to go through something like that again either."

"A-anyway." Yukiko took a quick breath and decided to change the subject. "Shouldn't we get going soon? Um, we don't want to keep them waiting. I understand that it's only a one-hour appointment. That really doesn't seem very long. Oh, do you think there will be time to fit everyone?"

"I can't imagine how," murmured Naoto, appearing on the stairwell, looking uncharacteristically nervous and glum, even for her. "Er, perhaps I'd better stay behind, just to make sure you all have enough time."

"Aw, no way, Naoto." Rise gave her a little teasing push, and then rushed down the stairs behind her. "You're going, and you can't get out of it! There's no way I'm missing out on a chance to see you in a frilly dress! Oooooh, do you think they'll let us take photos? Kanji'll be soooo disappointed if he doesn't' get a glimpse!"

Naoto slumped over in defeat, and Chie put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Naoto-kun, I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"And it'll be over soon!" Yukiko was already moving towards the door. "Is everyone ready? Then…let's hurry!"

Some time later, out on the road, they were certainly hurrying. Maybe, thought Yukiko, a bit worried, she shouldn't have made such a fuss about the time. Rise was the only one of them who owned her own car, and she drove like an absolute crazy person, taking turns at lightning speed.

"Hey, um, Rise? Shouldn't you maybe take traffic laws into account, even just a little bit?" Yukiko gestured at Chie. "After all, we do have a police detective in the car…oh, and Naoto too, of course."

"This isn't how I expected to die," muttered Naoto, hanging on to the edge of her seat and staring grimly straight ahead. "Then again…so many things have been unexpected since I came to Inaba."

Chie didn't say a word. When Yukiko turned to ask if she was all right, she found that Chie's face had started to turn purple as she struggled against her carsickness.

"We're heeeere!" Before Yukiko could speak up again, Rise swerved them into a parking space only a few blocks from Okina City Station, and mercifully turned off the car. Naoto climbed stiffly out and took in a few, slow breaths of fresh air, while Yukiko gently helped Chie to do the same.

Rise checked her watch. "Oh, and look at that! We're right on time!"

"Actually," came a sharp voice from behind them, "you're thirteen seconds late."

Everyone turned around to see Marie, Inaba's own resident celebrity weatherwoman, dressed in a stylish blue suit, with her arms crossed impatiently over her chest as she frowned at them. "I've been waiting, you know. Couldn't you have driven a little faster?"

"Uh, no," mumbled Chie, "no, we couldn't. Definitely not."

"Oh, um…congratulations!" Yukiko beamed at Marie. "That's what you say on an occasion like this, isn't it? I mean, I know we congratulated you on the engagement already, but…oh, or maybe I should wait until the ceremony itself? I'm sorry, this is kind of new for me."

For a moment, Marie looked almost disappointed. "Really?" She sighed. "I was, um, kinda hoping that maybe you'd know something about all of this. It's not like I have a lot to go on…no one I know has ever gotten married, before, so." She shrugged.

"Oh, well…don't worry, Marie-chan." Chie gave her a thumbs up, her carsickness apparently starting to wear off. "It's okay, we'll figure it out together! That's what friends are for, right?"

"Anyway, let's get to those dresses!" Rise's eyes danced as she ushered the rest of the girls into Crocofur, the most fashionable designer clothing store in the city.

Inside the store, everything was arranged a bit differently than usual. The owner seemed to have pulled out all the fanciest dresses from the back, and they were hanging in rows throughout the store, organized, it seemed by color. On the right were the long, flowy blue dresses, and then next to them were some big, fluffy green dresses, beside which were some sparkly, sequined pink dresses, and…Yukiko's head swam. This place was always so confusingly colorful, but today it seemed even worse than usual.

Now that she thought about it, Yukiko had never gone shopping for Western-style evening wear before. Were all the stores like this? If so, quietly promised herself that she'd have a strictly Japanese-style wedding….if, of course, she ever had a wedding.

"I'd have to find a groom first," she muttered to herself.

"Huh? What about the moon?" Chie blinked at her. "Heeey, isn't this a little bit…overwhelming? Where do we even start?"

"W-well…" Yukiko thought for a moment. "Marie-chan, is there a particular color you'd like us to look for? Oh, and do you want all the dresses to be the same style, or should we all wear different kinds? Of course, we'll do whatever you like, but Chie and I don't always look good in the same styles of clothing."

"Yukiko looks good in everything," murmured Chie. "Me…? Not so much, haha…"

"I look terrible in dresses," sighed Naoto. "It really doesn't make a difference to me what you select, Marie-san. I promise to do my best…just please make sure it covers enough skin. As a detective, I'm worried about what it would do to my reputation if I dressed immodestly, and my grandpa would never approve. He will, of course, insist on seeing the photos."

"Huh?" Marie looked surprised for a moment. "You're not wearing a dress, Naoto. Hey! Hey, we need some help over here!" Marie waved impatiently at the store clerk, who smiled a bright, helpful smile, and hurried over towards the group.

"Yes, miss? Are you the wedding party? Oh, this is so exciting!" The clerk almost squealed with delight. "You know, my sister got married last year, and she let me choose the bridesmaids dresses, so I think I'm totally qualified to make good decisions for you! If you need any help at all, please don't hesitate to-!"

"Yeah, yeah, thanks, whatever." Marie dismissed that with a hand.

"Marie…there's really no need to be rude," mumbled Yukiko, somewhat embarrassed. "We're sorry, we really appreciate your help, ma'am."

"We'd appreciate a suit," added Marie imperiously. "A blue suit, in really nice fabric. Where do we get a suit?"

"A…suit?" The clerk looked momentarily confused. "But, you're all…you ARE the bridesmaids, aren't you?"

"No, I'm the bride," retorted Marie, "and Naoto-kun is going to wear a suit. Bring out your best suit, okay? No, all your best suits. She needs to look really good, and she's not used to looking good, so it needs to be a really good suit."

"Um, Marie!" Chie's eyes widened. "Is that…uh, I'm sure that's not exactly what you meant to say, right? Naoto-kun is super cute!"

Naoto, however, didn't seem to have noticed the insult. She was smiling at Marie, now, and her whole posture and demeanor had relaxed considerably.

"Marie-san…are you sure?" asked Naoto. "Of course, I greatly appreciate it, but-!"

"Yeah," interrupted Marie, "I'm sure. Its totally normal to wear suits at a wedding; I checked on the internet and, on the television, too. Besides, the guys are all going to be wearing suits, so why can't you?"

"Thank you," murmured Naoto. "That's…actually a huge relief. I'll just be over there, then, in the men's department. Excuse me a moment."

"Hey over here!" Rise, who had been wandering around the store on her own, waved her arms to try and get Yukiko and Chie's attention. "Aren't we forgetting something important? What'd we come here for anyway?"

Rise had, of course found the wedding dresses. She was standing in front of a rack draped with silver, white, and cream-colored fantasy, with silk, lace, and more frills and flowery adornments than Yukiko had ever seen before in the same place.

"Oh wow," whispered Chie, "this is it…the real thing! We're really going WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING! Holy crap, I'm getting pumped."

They both turned on Marie.

"Well," demanded Chie, "how about it, Marie-chan? Are you ready?"

"It's showtime!" Rise beamed, then rushed over, grabbed Marie's arm, and half-dragged her to the wedding gowns.

"Well?" asked Rise, gesturing dramatically at the dresses. "What kind of dress do you want, huh? Are we thinking fairy princess, or ice queen, or maybe something a little more classic and elegant?"

Marie stared.

"Um," she said.

"When I get married," Rise went on, "and, don't get me wrong, I'm definitely going to elope to avoid the publicity, but when I get married, I'm going to get the most gorgeous, fairy-princess-like gown that I can. I mean, yeah, it's not like I don't get enough chances to dress up when I'm onstage, but there's something different about the idea of a _wedding dress._ I don't want to have any regrets about the day, you know? I want to get every little bit of fun and joy that I can out of the moment, and besides, I want my husband's eyes to go wide when I walk down the aisle, like, I'm the most beautiful girl he's ever seen in his life! So…you know, I'll have to pick the right dress. The right dress is _important._ "

Marie took a slight step back from the dresses, eyeing them warily, almost as though they might jump out and bite her.

"I think you're making her nervous, Rise," Yukiko whispered.

"Yeah, maybe chill out just a little bit?" Chie nodded.

"Huh, but-?" Rise started to say something, but Naoto intervened.

"Marie-san," she murmured, holding out a crisp, relatively simple white suit that she'd apparently found in the men's section, "perhaps you could have something like this tailored? I think you'd look very elegant and commanding, and you are used to wearing skirt suits for your work, so this wouldn't feel much different. I suspect it would be comfortable for you."

A hunted, slightly panicked look came into Marie's eyes.

"Um…Marie-chan. Are you okay?" Rise frowned. "You kinda look like you're gonna be sick."

Yukiko slowly took a step towards Marie, hand stretched out to give her friend a comforting pat on the shoulder.

Marie swallowed hard. Her eyes darted from the dresses to the suit that Naoto was holding, then to the expectant looks on the faces of her would-be-bridesmaids.

"AGH," she suddenly shouted. "No, it's…IT'S TOO MUCH PRESSURE!"

Without another word, she turned on her heel and bolted from the store, leaving Yukiko, Rise, Chie, and Naoto watching in stunned silence as Marie took off down the street.

The clerk just sighed.

"Oh dear," she said. "Well…this does happen sometimes. Wedding shopping can be a little bit stressful at the best of times."

Rise straightened up.

"We've got a runner girls," she announced. "We promised Marie we'd accomplish this mission today, and I'm not backing down now. Charge!"

Yukiko nodded firmly. "Yes. Shall we?"

Yukiko, Chie, Naoto, and Rise exchanged a quick look, and a determined nod. Then, they ran out of the store after Marie.

"MARIE-CHAN," called Yukiko desperately, as Chie pulled ahead of her. "W-wait!"

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

Aw man, I remember those good times. Truthfully, wedding shopping was a nightmare, and I relate so much to poor Marie in this story.

Actually, that begs the question; who do you think Marie is going to marry? I purposefully didn't discuss him at all in the above chapter. Any guesses? I'd love to know who you think it is!


	6. Chapter Four

**Author's Note:** …and now, we return to our regularly scheduled gloomy mystery! It's my favorite time…Adachi time! I apologize for the long delay between chapters, I had this huge work project that took up all my time the last few weeks.

The relationship between Adachi and Dojima fascinates me, even moreso since they've expanded on it a little bit in the Arena games. It's my favorite dynamic to write, so this chapter has been a treat for me.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

A couple of days after Adachi's Velvet Room nightmare, he woke up from a mercifully dreamless sleep to discover that he'd run out of coffee. That was never a good thing.

Adachi hadn't always been a coffee drinker. In fact, when he'd first transferred to Inaba, he'd been disgusted by the way Dojima drank the stuff. Black coffee, he'd thought, tasted like burnt shit. Some of the other guys at the station had made merciless fun of him for taking his own coffee with so much cream and sugar, to the point that he'd just abandoned coffee altogether.

He'd tried getting into booze for a while, but he couldn't really afford to get the good, fancy stuff, and besides, he'd never really been much of a booze guy. Alcohol made him feel dull, moronic, and slow, and although it could be nice for helping him get to sleep on a particularly rough night, that feeling of "trying to think sway through molasses" just pissed him off, most of the time.

. He'd gotten into the instant coffee habit shortly after they'd let him out of prison, and before too long, it had become an addiction. Coffee was a stimulant that kept his mind sharp, or at least made him feel sharp

He'd started reading murder mysteries, too, wondering if maybe a good thriller would help him get back some of that old, delicious and malicious mental stimulation that came from trying to stay one step ahead of the cops, but it didn't work. Mystery novels al tended to follow the same formula, and after two or three, he barely even had to think about them to know the outcome. He'd tried interesting himself in that weird case a couple of years before, with the mental shutdowns and those dumbass kids, the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts," but that didn't yield much more joy. He was pretty sure he knew better than most what was going on there, and nothing was more boring than relieving that annoying episode of his former life.

Before too long, a good caffeine high was his greatest ally, the one thing that truly understood him, the one thing he looked forward to every morning.

But now, there was no coffee, and the outlook was even bleaker than usual.

Without coffee, he just felt like an angry old man, and it looked today was going to be one of those angry old days.

Snarling under his breath, he flopped down on the sofa and stared dejectedly into the turned-off TV, to exhausted by the unfairness of the world to even get up and turn it on.

Then, for the first time in years, it occurred to him to do the thing he'd avoided above all else since his arrest. Without really thinking too hard about why he was doing it, Adachi stood up again, strolled over the TV, and stuck his hand through the screen.

Part of Adachi expected, no, maybe _hoped_ that nothing would happen. Of course, that was ridiculous. The screen puckered and rippled around his fingers as his hand pierced the veil between here and _there_.

"Shit," he muttered, drawing his hand back abruptly and examining it, as though there might be some kind of change or damage. There wasn't, and there never had been, but for some reason, he always checked.

His heart was beating fast, very fast. He felt just a little bit like choking.

Someone banged loudly on the front door, but Adachi just ignored it, still trying to get his bearings back.

"Hey, Adachi!" The door burst open, and Detective Ryotaro Dojima came in, glaring, as always, probably out of habit and because that was maybe the only thing his face could comfortably do. "Oh, there you are. What are you doing? I knocked."

"Yeah…and then you let yourself in." Adachi sighed. "Anyway, sure, here I am. Exactly where else did you think I might be?"

Dojima scowled and sat down on the couch, without asking. Adachi snorted a laugh and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Welcome," he muttered, "to my home, Dojima-san. Come on in! Oh wait, you already did…right."

Ignoring that, Dojima scrutinized Adachi's face.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked. "You look even worse than usual."

"Hah, that's nic." Adachi gestured dismissively at the kitchen counter. "I'm out of drugs. I'm suffering from withdrawal. You know how it is with us delinquent no-good criminal types. Gotta have our fixes!"

Dojima's face relaxed, and he almost smiled. "Oh, is that all? Figures. How the heck do you always manage to run out so fast? Do you not know how to shop for yourself, or something?"

Adachi thought about mentioning the fact that whenever he left his house, the children on the street threw things at him. Two people in the past three weeks had called the police station to accuse Adachi of 'suspicious lurking' while he'd been out shopping, but he figured Dojima would probably just tell him it was his own damn fault, and that wasn't really something he could argue with.

"It's too much effort,' he said instead, which was true, in it's own way.

Dojima just shook his head, then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a couple of packets of instant coffee. Adachi stared hungrily at it.

"You'll have to take it black," Dojima reminded him.

"Fine, sure." Adachi nodded. "Be my guest." He stepped aside and gave Dojima full access to the kitchen, such as it was. Dojima busily began preparing the coffee, and Adachi realized, as he watched him, that his fists had unclenched, and his heartbeat had finally started slowing down.

Somehow, the atmosphere in the room had relaxed.

Adachi sat back down on the sofa and spread himself out a little bit, listening to the sound of his own breathing. Dojima had started humming tunelessly, which was a little bit ridiculous and also strangely calming.

After a moment, the microwave beeped, and Dojima returned to the sofa with two cups of vaguely aromatic, steaming instant coffee. He looked so pleased with himself as he handed Adachi a cup that Adachi had to choke down a smile.

"Finish your coffee," commanded Dojima, "and then…maybe change your shirt. Looks like you slept in that thing."

Adachi glanced down at his wrinkled, slightly coffee-stained t-shirt. "Why?"

"Because," insisted Dojima, "we're going shopping." He downed the rest of his coffee in two aggressive gulps, then turned and looked expectantly at Adachi.

"Uh." Adachi raised an eyebrow. "I'd…rather not."

"Then you can sit around here for the next week without coffee," retorted Dojima. "You think I don't know what it's like when you go out? Not that I blame them, you piece of shit."

Dojima said the words "piece of shit," almost affectionately, which was both deeply confusing and sort of vaguely gratifying for Adachi, who just glared at his coffee cup, swallowing thoughtfully.

"You come with me now, and I guarantee you, nobody's throwing stones. Otherwise, you're on your own, and don't come crying to me about it."

In a million years, thought Adachi, he would never come 'crying' to Dojima about anything Even pieces of shit like him had their pride, right?

"Well?" Dojima raised an eyebrow. "We going? I don't have all day."

Grudgingly, Adachi rubbed at the coffee stain on his shirt, and then turned and headed upstairs to the bedroom to find a slightly cleaner one.

Twenty minutes later, they were in Dojima's car, heading for the shopping district.

Adachi didn't make a habit of riding shotgun in Dojima's car these days. In the last ten years, he could probably count on both hands the number of times they'd gone out for a drive. He knew that every time someone saw him and Dojima together, it damaged Dojima's reputation and got the housewives talking, and for some reason, that didn't delight Adachi the way he knew it should. Instead, it just pissed him off.

Back in the day, when he and Dojima had briefly been partners, they'd even had favorite radio stations that they'd argued about on the drives through town.

Adachi tried not to think about that as they waited at a stoplight, Dojima drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and muttering to himself about the way the traffic lights in Inaba seemed to slow down just for him.

When they pulled up to take advantage of the limited street parking behind Junes, Adachi could hear all the enthusiastic Inaba townsfolk engaging in one of their favorite activities – mindless retail therapy. He grimaced as he got out of the car, and a couple of heads turned, noticed him, and began whispering amongst themselves.

Dojima acted like he didn't even notice, but Adachi found that he was much more self-conscious now than he'd been the last time he'd forced himself to make a shopping trip.

They went in through the grocery department and headed past the produce towards the little coffee corner in the back. Adachi considered hiding his face behind a large cabbage that he picked upon the way, but then resented the thought and dropped the cabbage off defiantly among a group of green bananas.

"Oh, Dad! Hi, Dad! Are you out shopping?" Unexpectedly, a familiar face stepped out of the gap between the two spice aisles. Adachi flinched.

Nanako Dojima was still kind of a short, baby-faced kid, but every time he saw her, Adachi still couldn't quite believe that ten years had gone by and that the one major, sunny little regret of his unimpressive life was now…fifteen? Sixteen? He actually wasn't sure.

She smiled at Dojima, waved, and then, suddenly, she caught sight of Adachi, and her eyes widened.

"Oh, um…" She blinked, and then gave him a very hesitant smile. "Hi, Adachi-san."

Dojima turned, met her eyes, and then glanced over at Adachi. In a matter of moments, the whole atmosphere of the place seemed to change. Dojima tensed up, frowned, and stepped protectively in between Adachi and Nanako. Maybe it had been an unconscious movement on Dojima's part, Adachi thought, but there was suspicion in Dojima's eyes now that hadn't been there before.

Adachi, very consciously, took a full step back away from father and daughter.

"Dad," mumbled Nanako awkwardly, "it's fine, I'm fine. You don't have to-!"

"Nanako-san?" Another teenage girl emerged from the spice aisle. This one was black, skinny, and definitely not a local. Actually, Adachi couldn't remember having ever seen her before. "Oh, I'm sorry! Um…am I interrupting?"

"Dad, this is Deidre-san," said Nanako quickly, gesturing at her friend. "She's in my class, we're doing a chemistry project together. Is it okay if we use the garden next to the house? We're testing plants."

This time, Dojima shot a quick look from Adachi to the new girl, Deidre, and his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah," he said quietly, "sure, Nanako, no problem."

There was a short, tense moment of uncomfortable silence, and then Adachi decided he'd had enough. Something in his chest felt tight, and he didn't' feel like having a heart attack right here in the middle of the fucking grocery store.

Adachi turned and started walking quickly away from the little family.

"Hey," demanded Dojima, "where are you-?"

"Forget it," snarled Adachi, "I'm going home. Thanks for the coffee."

He contemplated stopping on the way out and actually making some purchases, but he didn't feel like it anymore. He'd be fine without the caffeine, probably. Maybe.

Maybe he'd try again in the morning.

He walked all the way home, and then sat on the couch watching television, or rather, letting the television play in the background as he stared off into space. Someone on the news was talking about some kind of sickness that was sweeping through Japan, and Adachi figured that at least he probably wouldn't get it, since being a reclusive shut-in meant such limited contact with anybody carrying an illness.

At some point late in the evening, he went up to bed and lay on his futon, trying to pass out. He wasn't sure what time it was when he opened his eyes again and found himself in the Velvet Room. The room was still, apparently, empty, and still blindingly blue. Against the far wall, he could see the thing in the mask, whatever it was, draped in its chains, watching him.

After a moment of hesitation, he strode across to it and took a deep breath.

"Okay," he said. "Okay, just…hypothetically. What exactly do you want me to do?"


End file.
